Anthropology & Sociology

Detectives. Globetrotters. Time travelers. Anthropologists
and sociologists are all of these and more, studying that most fundamental of
topics: ourselves.

Anthropologists and sociologists explore the world’s diverse
cultures and social behaviors — from the beginning of time to 10 minutes ago. They
investigate the overlapping social structures of family, economy, politics,
education, religion and media that both form and inform our behavior and relationships.

Power to the People: Students in this program probe such diverse topics as art, environment, evolution, symbolism, values, healing and religion to understand the range of cultural and biological differences among the world’s peoples. They study how the distribution of power affects issues of social justice and sustainability. Courses such as “Anthropology of
Death,” “Gender and Society” and “Religion, Culture and Alternate Realities” provide a global perspective on topics that have shaped civilization.

This major is a popular choice for students considering graduate study or careers in social work, law and criminal justice, politics, policy analysis and public administration.

Possibilities

Career options are nearly limitless. You can go academic,
corporate, nonprofit or government. You could end up working to curb the spread
of AIDS, leading the push for healthy lifestyle habits at a major corporation,
or researching the use of cell phones in developing nations.

Related Occupations

Anthropologist

Sociologist

Police officer

Government official

Teacher or college professor

Archivist or museum curator

Urban planner

Social worker

Counselor

Sales representative

Policy analyst

Grant writer

Types of Employers

Law firms

Federal, state and local government

Public interest organizations

Colleges and universities

Correctional facilities

Airports and other transit facilities

Crime laboratories

Research facilities

Banks

Museums and natural history centers

Teaching HIV prevention

Your Next Favorite Class?

“My cultural anthropology courses have been amazing! They’ve opened my eyes to other cultures and helped me make the most of my trip to Nicaragua to work on clean water solutions in my junior year, which was a truly life-changing experience.”